RED SHIRTS AGREE TO END PROTEST IN BANGKOK

By D.Arul Rajoo

BANGKOK, April 14 (Bernama) -- Leaders of the anti-government protesters who
turned the streets of Bangkok into a war zone and caused the recent Asean +6
Summit in Pattaya to be cancelled, have agreed to end their rally and disperse
from the Government House.

Natawut Saikua told thousands of supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin
Shinawatra at the Government House Tuesday that the red shirters would leave the
rally site peaceful.

"We have agreed to end our rally to protect the lives of our supporters. But
we will come and we will continue to fight for democracy," he said, as thousands
of soldiers surrounded the rally site.

Two people were killed and close to 100 injured in running battles between
the protesters, sol diers and local residents in the capital Monday.

Natawut said that although they failed to achieve victory in their struggle
to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign, at least the protest led by
the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) managed to show the world
that the Thai people were fed-up with Privy Councilor President and former prime
minister Prem Tinsulanonda.

Tension had been running high since April 8 when over 100,000 people turned
out for a massive rally to support Thaksin, and three days later a smaller crowd
of 1,000 overpowered thousands of police and soldiers to storm the venue of the
Asean+6 Summit and force its cancellation.

On Sunday, the embattled Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state
of emergency in the capital and five other surrounding provinces, but still
refused to bow to the protesters' demand to resign or dissolve the parliament.

"Many people don't like him (Prem). On April 8, about 300,000 people turned
up at his house to show their displeasure with him," Natawut said, as co-leader
Veera Musikapong told the local media that he was surrendering to the police.

But Natawut said the end to the bloodly Songkran day did not mean the end of
their fight to seek the return of democracy to the kingdom and added that
they were prepared to return to continue the struggle.

The authorities have told the protesters that buses would be provided to
fery them home.

The DAAD besieged the Government House on March 26, before a massive rally
on April 8 which led to the protesters closing a major intersection at the
Victory Monument the following day, paralysing the entire capital.
-- BERNAMA